FIM-E Super Street Bike


Garry Bowe (Rose Hughes photo)

If things got a little weird in Top Fuel Bike they went haywire in the Super Street Bike class. Qualifying seemed to go reasonably to script with Shawn Buttigieg low with a 7.148/207.40 and Steve Venables following in close order with a 7.163/203.31. although the reduced qualification sessions left a few on the outside and no seven-second bump to the sixteen-bike ladder.

Eliminations had Buttigieg depart in the opening round and Venables at the quarter final stage, with Allan Quist Jensen (in his first appearance in the class) converting his defeat of Buttigieg to a semifinal finish (taken out by Rick Stubbins with a 7.122) and Venables’s vanquisher Sotiris Tsakiris falling to Garry Bowe at the final four stage, Bowe pulling out a 7.068 (the Brit having previously set class low ET with a 7.048/210.34 in the quarters, the speed serving as a back up for the 211.69mph on a 7.052 in the opening round for a new European record).

Rick Stubbins (Ivan Sansom photo)

The final was definitely in the weird category as neither bike red lit but the win light came on in Bowe’s lane before either rider had reached half track, a timing block fell over at some point possibly when Stubbins started to hug the centreline and despite Bowe crossing the finishline clearly ahead, no time was recorded and, as it stands, the final was declared invalid with no opportunity to re-run due to the curfew.

Remaining FIA/FIM-E Championship rounds

August 25-28: Scandinavian Internationals, Tierp Arena, Sweden FIA Only

September 8-11: FIA / FIM Finals, Santa Pod Raceway, England FIA & FIM-E [08/26/16]